Parallels
by 0m3g45n1p3r4lph4
Summary: Akko's up to her usual shenanigans during her second summer at Luna Nova, but this time the repercussions are a bit larger... Now she's at Luna Nova but she's not, Everyone's the same but different, and everything that happened only somewhat did...? How is she supposed to return to where she already is?
1. SNOOPINGAS USUAL, I SEE

It was a beautiful summer afternoon at Luna Nova. The break had just started, so some students had left to visit their families; Others either staying a while longer, or for the entire break. The sun shone warm rays and a gentle breeze caused the tree leaves and flowers to dance back and forth; coupled with beautiful magic birdsong, it was the type of day no one could resist from spending outside.

That is, except, for one Atsuko Kagari.

Not to say she didn't feel it was a great day out, of course - she thought it was amazing - but she had her mind occupied with other things at the moment. Ever since the revival of Magic, Luna Nova had undergone some renovations and many of the older, forbidden buildings were receiving new attention from the cleaning staff. And while still technically restricted from student access during the renovations, Akko felt that mice didn't count as students.

Oh, I love knowing Transformation magic!

Scurrying as quickly as her tiny mouse legs could carry her, she darted across ceiling beams, up and down pillars and under many doors. There was never anything too interesting to see in the rooms, since most of the tools and artifacts that would normally be there had been moved to the archives years ago, but everything was more interesting when it seemed larger. Even still, she was hoping to find something worth showing her friends in this place! Even simple things like old magic symbols or another sorcerer's stone or… anything!

Taking one final look down the hall, she noticed a double doorway made of a different kind of wood from the rest, with a more secure design, only emphasized by the triple padlocks, wooden boards and metal bar blocking it shut. To any normal student, this would seem like a warning - something dangerous must be locked in that room, and the locking is to keep it in there.

Akko was no normal student, however. She saw this instead as something interesting being hidden away so people can't see it. Of course, she wasn't about to completely risk her life over this, so she decided to undo her transformation and knock on the door first. Hearing nothing moving behind the door, Akko transformed back into a mouse and squeezed into the crack in between the doors. It was still a tight fit, but she managed to make it through with enough wiggling. The room inside was very dark, with only the faint glow produced by what seemed to be shelved artifacts. Was this a storage closet? Removing her transformation spell, she held out her wand and cast a simple illumination one. Curiously, some of the items in the closet also began to glow or continue to glow brighter in response.

Now with plenty of light, the Japanese witch could clearly see the contents of the room. It was indeed a storage closet, and the contents were some of the coolest things she'd ever seen! Ornate brooms, glowing crystal skulls, custom-designed wands, jeweled goblets, it was amazing! Amanda would love to see this! Suddenly, however, something else caught her eye. At the far end of the room was a pink glow, contrasting the usual green magic of everything else in the closet. Following the light, Akko found that it was coming from a jewel embedded in the top of a mirror frame. Aside from the unique glow, the mirror seemed to be normal.

The design isn't very fancy… and it seems to just be reflecting me… but then why is it here?

It wasn't until she took a closer look at the room being reflected that she started to have suspicions. For starters, the reflection's floor was covered in (clearly discarded) artifacts, and the walls were much further… "Is that even the same room? What's with all the junk?"

"Where's all the junk?" At the same time as she spoke, she heard a voice overlap her own. Was that… my voice? My reflection said something different? Cautiously, she reached a hand out to the mirror. Her reflection still copied her every move, until she came into contact with it. For just a brief moment, no more than a second, she felt human warmth instead of glass and saw through the mirror as though it was a window rather than a reflection. Startled, yet too curious to back away, she racked her mind for a way to say something separate from her reflection.

*KNOCK KNOCK* *RUMBLE CRASH*

"Akko, are you there?" Two different sounds, two different voices, but both the same idea. Someone had come looking for her, and she almost had trouble telling which one was happening where. Standing up quickly, she hit her shoulder on a shelf, knocking a small pot onto her back, which sent her tumbling facefirst towards the mirror. In her final, albeit brief, moment of awareness, she saw her reflection had tripped and was coming head first to meet her.


	2. Unfamiliar Territory in a Familiar Face

When Akko regained consciousness, she found she was no longer surrounded by magic artifacts. It didn't seem like she was in either the room she was in or the room she saw in the mirror. In fact, she didn't recognize the room at all. She was on a large bed, softer than her own and without a bunk above her, lightly wrapped in a blanket and with a wet cloth on her forehead. Across from her rested a large bookshelf filled to the limit with what she could only assume to be high-level magic texts. Next to her was another bookshelf with a desk, at which sat…

"DIANA?!" Akko shot upright but slowed down when she felt dizzy. "What- Where- What are you-?"

The blonde witch jumped somewhat at the brunette's outburst, quickly closing the book she was reading and turning to look at the source of the noise. "Akko, please. You startled me. Although," she sighed, shifting her chair to better face the bedridden girl. "I am glad to see you're awake. You really must be more careful when you're exploring."

Akko was taken aback by what she was hearing. Diana sounds like she… cares? Since when does she care about anyone? Wait a minute… if Diana's here, does that mean this is… "Am I in your room!? And your bed?!"

Diana reached out to place a hand on Akko's shoulder. "Please relax. I figured it'd be easier to bring you here to help you."

The japanese witch responded by shrugging the hand off of her shoulder. "Since when do you care? You're probably just doing this so you can scold me before the professors get a chance." She crossed her arms and turned away, making sure to keep the prodigy in the corner of her eye.

Said prodigy looked concerned and… hurt? by her words. "I did this so that the professors wouldn't learn of what you were doing, so that you could avoid scolding altogether. And yes, I do indeed care. Perhaps you're concussed, and it's affecting your memory?"

Akko scrunched her face as she looked back at Diana. "I know I hit my head, but I don't think I hit it that hard. I'm starting to think you hit yours, because this-" she waved her hands towards Diana and at the towel on her head, "-seems completely unnatural coming from you."

The Cavendish sighed again and rose from her seat. "I think you should rest a while longer before we continue this conversation. I'm genuinely worried that you've forgotten things, and I'd rather not further stress you until you've recovered more." She motioned to a glass of water on the desk. "There's something to drink if you'd like, and if you need or want anything else, call for me. I'll be reading on the sofa." She turned and walked to the edge of the bookcase but stopped for a moment.

"...Diana?"

"I'm sorry, Akko. I'm just worried, is all. My healing magic can only do so much for you." She continued walking and disappeared behind the wall of books. Akko was left alone with her thoughts.

I might've been a bit rude… She was trying to help me, after all. It just seems so weird, with how friendly she's acting. Maybe I did actually forget something? Some big life-changing thing?

...I hope not.

When Akko finally decided it was a good time to leave the bed (still awkward, waking up in someone else's bed, especially hers…), she went to peer around the bookshelf.

THIS ROOM IS MASSIVE! She was shocked at the idea that this was any student team's dorm. I didn't think even the professors would have rooms like this! She noted the two other beds - must be Hannah's and Barbara's - and the table surrounded by a sofa and chairs decorating the room. True to her word, Diana laid on the sofa, facing the other way, reading another book. Apprehensively, Akko decided to let her presence be known. "Diana…?"

Diana looked over her shoulder as she bookmarked her page. "Good morning. Are you feeling any better? Take a seat wherever you'd like." Akko took the offer and sat in a chair across from Diana.

"I feel fine. I wanted to apologise for being rude earlier." The Japanese witch twiddled her fingers and looked down. "I know you were trying to help me and all, but it just seemed so surprising that I got worried."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "I forgive you, Akko, but… is my help really so foreign to you? I know you said you feel fine, yet you seem to still have your impressions of me from about a year ago."

"A year ago!?" Akko practically leaped out of the chair. "You think I forgot a year's worth of stuff? That can't be, that can't…"

The blonde cleared her throat to help her friend refocus. "There's really only one way to find out. What's the last major event that you remember?"

"Last major event… Does the start of summer count? This is still the start of my second summer, right?"

"Indeed it is…" Diana rested a hand on her chin. "But maybe you forgot older events, and this is too recent to be affected. What can you recall before this?"

Akko thought this over for a while. "As far as big events go, I remember the magic festival…"

"Nothing sooner? Do you remember the new Professor Croix? Or when you finally 'met' Chariot?"

Akko's eyes sparkled as she leaned towards Diana. "I MET CHARIOT!? WHEN? WHERE? I don't remember that!"

Diana tried to hide her worry with an uncomfortable smile as she rose from her seat. "Perhaps we can discuss things with her over your favourite Black Plum Tea? I still need to practice with your recipe."

"THAT'D BE AWESO- wait." Akko paused and stared at Diana quizzically. "How did you know that was my favourite? And how do you have my recipe?"

"Again, Akko, you seem to be forgetting. You shared it with me not long ago during a picnic." She looked down sadly. "... Do you not remember our picnic when you learned to fly? It's one of my fondest memories…"

Diana? Having fond memories with me? ...What happened since the festival? "I'm sorry, I don't remember. Let's see if Chariot can refresh my memory!" She made her way towards the door.

"I suppose that's our best bet. Do try to keep calm around her, though. She'll fully remember, so try not to act like it's your first time again." As Diana opened the door, motioned for Akko to follow her.

After a brief stop at the cafeteria for breakfast and some mild chatter (Diana seems reluctant to go into detail about things. Is she actually worried for me? Why is she acting like this?) Akko realized they were walking up the stairs through the professor's dormitory tower. "Chariot's staying with the professors here?"

"She is a professor here, Akko. You'll see in a minute."

WHAT? How could I not remember something like that? I must've missed something big!

Finally the two reached the topmost room in the tower. Diana knocked at the door. "Professor Chariot? If you're not busy, Akko seems to be having some trouble, and we could use your help." Akko was practically leaping out of her skin in excitement at the idea of meeting her idol for real (remember, apparently it's already happened. I have to appear calm. But how could I right now!?) and eagerly listened to the noises on the other side of the door.

"Come on in! Let's see what's going on."

Diana opened the door and Akko rushed in. "CHARIO-" She froze when she saw who was sitting at the end of the room. "Professor… Ursula!?"

Chariot looked at her with confusion. "Akko? It's me, yes. What's the trouble?"

"How are you- but-" She couldn't wrap her head around the situation she was in. "This whole time?! You were Shiny Chariot?"

"...Yes? Is this just sinking in properly now?" The professor rubbed the back of her head shyly. "I thought we'd discussed this a while ago… That wasn't a good night, for sure..."

Akko looked between the two other witches in the room and grabbed at her hair, falling to her knees as she tugged at it. It was Diana who finally decided to speak for her. "Akko appears to be experiencing memory loss after a concussion. She doesn't remember our friendship, and apparently she doesn't remember 'meeting' you. I assume she also doesn't remember the Dream Fuel Spirit, seeing as to how she forgot about Ms. Meridies. I was hoping that you'd be able to jog her memories."

"I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THIS STUFF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Akko screamed from the floor. "Just the Dragon that tried to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, and that big Titan at the festival! Everything else you've mentioned-"

"Titan?" Chariot interrupted. "Do you mean the ghost of Vajarois? There weren't any actual Titans around then."

"No, it was a Titan." Akko sat up slowly. "You announced that to everyone there! We had to save the town from it! And then Lotte and Sucy and I used the Shiny rod to defeat it after it was making everything angry… Diana, you were there too! How do you guys not remember that if I'm the one forgetting stuff?"

Diana and Chariot shared a worried glance before turning back to Akko. "It almost sounds as though you're confusing multiple events together and making up other details as you go." Diana quickly raised her hands in a sort of apology. "Not to say what you're saying is completely false, but that's not what happened. Professor, if I recall correctly, you said Ms. Meridies has experience with searching and sorting memories?"

"Y-yes, but you know the ministry won't let her near here anytime soon unless specifically requested by the Headmistress with good reason."

"Trust me, I'd rather not involve her unless absolutely necessary after what she did. I just think we should be ready to call her in if it gets to that point."

Akko by this point was barely listening, instead looking over everything in the room. She stopped when she noticed something resting on the large window up the stairs. Is that… a person? It was difficult to make out, but there was definitely something resting against the outside of the window. Before she could really focus on it, she realized Diana was trying to get her attention. "Sorry, what did you say?" peeking out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't see the figure in the window any longer. Had I just imagined that?

"I was wondering if you still wanted the tea. It's ready now."

"It's hilarious, really." A distorted voice spoke into the communication device. "Terribly ironic."

Atop the tower, under a cloaking spell, the mysterious figure watched the witches through the window. The voice through the communicator replied. "I noticed you activated your cloaking. Were you spotted?"

"I think not. There was one that looked towards me, but I think they didn't properly notice."

"Are they of any significance then, or can we move on?"

The hidden figure waited for a moment before replying, looking out to the sky as they thought. "I'm not sure. From what I can tell, they're not from around here."

"Another traveller? That could make things easier for us to get around."

"Or it means they could try to interfere. Supposedly they've done big things here. Yet they talk of other events, so they must be some sort of 'hero' in both worlds."

The comm line was silent for a while. "Keep an eye on them. If they become a threat, don't hesitate to kill. But amongst that, don't forget our main goal."

The cloaked figure laughed darkly. "Of course, love. I'll listen for a while longer, then return to the assessment."

"Understood. Keep in touch, Noir Knight." With a blip, the communicator deactivated. The Noir Knight turned back to look through the window.

"So then, Akko. Why are you here?"

That entire chat felt meaningless… Akko thought to herself as she walked back down the halls to the cafeteria. I didn't remember anything! And apparently my memories are scrambled or something?

"Please don't stress yourself out too much, Akko." Diana reminded her friend that she wasn't walking alone. "Perhaps one of the items in that room was cursed? That seems like the easiest explanation at the moment."

"I guess so… I just wish we knew what and how to undo it." Akko's eyes drifted around the familiar halls of her school. Everything else seems pretty much the same… The windows to the side, classroom doors lining the walls, My reflection in the window walking the opposite direction… Wait WHAT?


	3. Familiar Faces in Unfamiliar Territory

When Akko regained consciousness, she found she was in her bed, the outer layers of her uniform removed, and something cold and wet was on her head. Groaning, she tried to sit up but was stopped by Sucy, who gently held her in place with one arm. "I'm not done yet, so don't move." Akko followed her friend's other arm to see she was applying some concoction to the Japanese witch's forehead with a brush. She recoiled in shock.

"What kind of poison is this!? Sucy, you'd better not be- ooooh..." She steadied herself as her head began to spin.

"Relax, dummy." Sucy sounded mildly annoyed by her friend's distrust, but her face gave nothing away. "This is just to make sure you don't need to see a nurse. You roughed yourself up pretty badly in there."

Lotte peeked down from her bunk. "Akko! How do you feel?"

"Dizzy, I guess… Kinda like I headbutted someone while going top speed on a broom…" She lay her head back down patiently as Sucy finished applying her medicine, and slowly got up as the Filipino witch started to return to her own bed. She turned to find her uniform vest folded over the chair at the desk beside her, and as she went to grab it, she noticed… "THE SHINY ROD?!"

"Ah great," Sucy sighed. "She must have amnesia." Deciding to ignore Akko's Ramblings™ for the time being, she went back to her own bed and began sorting through a bag of assorted mushrooms.

Lotte, however, showed some concern for her friend. "Akko, don't you remember finding that? You even used it a few times…"

"That's the thing!" Akko grabbed the Rod and turned up to face Lotte. "I used it! So then why is it still here? … And why is it so cold?" She hastily turned it over in her hands, inspecting every detail like an obsessive fan (which she was, of course, but not in this sense). Shaking her head in disappointment, she looked back at her friends. "Lotte, Sucy, you should remember, you were there! That big fight we had?"

Lotte nodded, but still seemed confused. "When we had to team up to fight that big monster that was making everything angry, right? We got some fancy white outfits and used a bigger, stronger Shiny Arc? … That's what you called it, right? The Shiny Arc?"

Akko nodded furiously. "Yes, exactly! And then with that final shot, Diana and I activated the Grand Triskelion and restored magic to the world!" She turned to Sucy again. "Back me up on this, Sucy!"

Sucy would not be backing her up, it seemed. "You and Diana? I can't imagine Diana helping you unless she was forced against her will to, or she thought it'd boost her public image. She'd sooner take broom dance lessons from Amanda. Besides, what do you mean by 'restoring magic'?"

"Don't talk about Diana like that!" Akko stomped as she stepped closer to the pale witch. "Diana's one of the nicest people I've ever met, and she'd always try her best to help the greater good!"

Lotte and Sucy shared a shocked glance and remained silent for a moment as the brunette cooled down. It was finally Sucy who decided to speak up. "I'm gonna ignore the fact that you just defended criticisms towards Diana and instead focus on my previous question. What do you mean by 'restoring magic'!?"

"How do you not remember that? I was talking about it all the time ever since the festival!" Akko tugged her hair in stress, wishing she was wearing her hat to tug instead.

"But… the big fight was during the festival? If by festival, you mean your Witch Parade Happy Time project?"

"... No? The Trick-or-Treat plan." The brunette paced around the room, stressing further and further over the confusion. "You helped me with that!"

"O-Okay, Akko." Lotte tried to calm her friend. "Maybe you just had a weird dream and are confused? I've had that happen a few times when I fell asleep reading… So it's nothing to weird?"

Akko was hesitant, but eventually surrendered. "I guess that's possible…"

The orange-haired witch climbed down from her bunk and smiled. "Maybe having breakfast with everyone will help you remember!"

That seemed to cheer her up greatly. "Okay!"

When the Red team made it to the cafeteria, they were greeted by Green team, who'd saved a table for them. _Is blue team not here yet? Maybe they had something to do for the Headmistress…_ As Akko sat down, Amanda moved her seat over so she could wrap her arm around her.

"Hey, Akko! What a way to cut the party short last night! How're you feeling?"

"...Party? There was a party?" Akko looked at her American friend with confusion. "I was looking for artifacts to show you last night…?"

"Yeah! You slipped away from the party to find your own stuff. Had me worried for a bit, when we finally found you unconscious there." Amanda leaned back into her chair as Constanze nodded. Jasminka was ( _as she does_ ) preoccupied with her food. "Although we did get some cool loot! A crystal skull, a few cool wands and brooms, and some old gold coins! I wonder where we could spend them…?"

"You actually took some of the stuff? I was hoping I could show you the whole place as a surprise, but I guess if you were following me then that's done."

"Following you? It's not like you could go too far from us in that dungeon. But that doesn't really matter now! You're okay, we got some loot, and overall I'd say we had a good night out!"

Despite Amanda's reassurances, Akko felt that something was seriously off. _Dungeon? I wouldn't really call an abandoned closet a dungeon…_

The redhead could feel the conflict in Akko's eyes; she was barely touching her food! "Hey, you're alright. It's cool."

"Are you sure, though?" the Japanese girl poked at her food before looking back at Amanda. "It feels like if I went home and found everything moved over by a centimetre. Like everything's the same, but still definitely off…" her eyes widened as she reached behind her to untuck Chariot's staff from her uniform. "And the Shiny Rod! How come no one else finds it weird that it's still here!?"

Her tablemates looked between each other before Sucy finally decided to speak up. "The only real odd thing with that stick is _you_ , Akko." Amanda seemingly suppresses a snicker as Akko glares at Sucy. _Why wouldn't she take this opportunity to joke? Amanda would never miss a chance to laugh at my expense!_

When Amanda did speak again, there was no mockery in her tone. "I have no clue where you think that rod'd be if it wasn't with you. What's going on?"

The brunette stared at her incredulously. "Seriously? You don't remember the Missile Crisis either?"

Lotte's jaw practically hit the floor. "You never said anything about missiles!"  
"That was the monster!"

"I don't remember anything about a missile…" Jasmika says.

"HOW DO NONE OF YOU REMEMBER-"

"AK-KO!"

Everyone at the table flinched at the voice they heard except Akko. _Just who I've been looking for!_ She turns to reply. "Diana! Back me up on this!"

"First off," Diana reprimanded. "Remember we are in the cafeteria. Students are trying to eat in peace with their friends, and there's _certainly_ no peace with you shouting for the whole school to hear." Akko shrank under Diana's icy glare. "Second, judging by what I've overheard, if everyone remembers something having happened one way while you think it went another, you're probably the one who's wrong. Especially if you're just recovering from a head injury."

The japanese witch paled at the last comment. "I… was hoping you wouldn't hear about that…"

"Well, I _have_ heard." The Prodigy student responded immediately and aggressively. "Of course you keep searching for trouble. Is it because of the few short times where you lucked out and found good results? You still haven't properly been able to ride a broom as of yet and yet _still_ manage to cause trouble for everyone else here, so perhaps it's best you take a break and let the trouble find _you_ for a change."

Akko was taken aback by Diana's ferocity. _Why is she acting so harsh all of a sudden? This isn't like her!_ Amanda intervened before Akko could try to defend herself, rising from her seat and slamming a hand on the table. "Lay off, Cavendish! It was just an accident, and clearly she's still recovering!"

"Then perhaps," Diana tilted her head up and away, keeping Amanda in the corner of her eye, "she should be using this time to reflect and improve, for all of our sakes. A few impressive feats aren't an excuse for how she acts." With a flick of her hair, she walked back to where Hannah and Barbara waited for her.

Akko stared at Diana in shock as she made her way back, barely able to process what had just happened. Amanda scoffed at the blonde as she sat back into her seat, resting her legs on the table. "What a bitch. Just can't keep her nose out of people's business, can she?"

Sucy chuckled in response. "Did you think I was joking about her?"

"What are you talking about?" Amanda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This morning, Akko was convinced Diana was a close friend of hers, and I had to remind her how stupid the idea was."

The redhead stared at her brunette friend, brows raised and not saying a thing, though everyone could read her expression; the classic 'This bitch outta her mind'.

"I thought we were, though!" Akko exclaimed, waving her arms and standing up. "She helped us take down the Missile! We rode the Shooting Star together! I chased her all the way to her mansion to keep her from leaving! This isn't like her at all!"

Her tablemates glanced between each other in confusion ( _and… jealousy? Is Amanda jealous?_ ). "None of that happened, Akko. Diana never left, and there was no missile." Jasminka stated.

"Yeah," Amanda joined in. "And what makes you think you and Cavendish would be all chummy like that?" ( _That is absolutely jealousy. She probably wants the Shooting Star…_ )

Akko looked to Amanda, and felt tears starting to form in her eyes. "None of this is right, Amanda! You and her are supposed to be great friends!" She turned towards Lotte and continued, "You and Barbara are supposed to be buddies! You two are the biggest fans of Night Fall in the school!"

"She- what? Really?" Lotte peeked over her shoulder to see if Barbara was still in the cafeteria.

"And Jasminka!" Akko ignored her roommate's comment to face the Russian witch. "Hannah's a big fan of your recipes! You two are supposed to be cooking partners!"

"...I would love a cooking partner…"

Akko sat hard into her chair, arms crossed. "And Diana… I don't- This doesn't…"

Sucy whispered something to Amanda, and suddenly recoiled in pain, clutching her shin. "I'll kill ya, Suce." The American witch jeered. "Don't test me." She attempted to calm herself, smiling at Akko. "What do you say we go for a stroll after this? Maybe the fresh air will help clear your mind, cause you're talking some out-of-this-world stuff."

Akko looked around the table, and all of her friends (minus Sucy, she's to busy muttering curses at Amanda and rubbing her shin) nod in approval. Finally, she nodded to Amanda. "Okay. But I want to stop by the professor's tower. Maybe Chariot can help too?"

"Chariot?" Amanda waved a hand to stop Akko from immediately answering. "Don't tell me- In all that crazy Missile stuff you're going on about, you end up meeting Shiny Chariot?"

"Don't tell me that hasn't happened either. She's been mentoring me the whole time!" When no-one seemed to know what she was talking about, she added "Our astrology teacher? Anyone!?"

Akko watched the gears turn in Amanda's head. "...Ursula? She's been mentoring you? Lotte, Sucy, did you know she had a mentor?"

Lotte shook her head. "We've only seen Professor Ursula in classes and a few odd times here or there. I don't know how Akko would've had the time for private mentoring…"

"And it's not like that theoretical mentoring shows at all," Sucy smirked.

"AUGH!" Akko shouted, practically launching herself out of her seat. "That's it! I'm going to see her, whether you guys decide to join me or not!" She walked off towards the exit without a moment's wait, trailed by Amanda.

"Akko, wait! Don't you at least wanna finish your breakfast?"

Without a word, Akko turned and marched back to the table and ate in a frustrated silence.

Eventually, once the brunette's calmed down, Amanda and her head off through the halls in the general direction of the professor's tower. The redhead placed a hand on her friend's shoulder to comfort her. "Hey, I know things might be seeming really crazy right now. You gave us all some crazy stories to think about!" Akko pouted at her in response. _Not helping._ "But you're Akko! You don't get the kind of reputation of pulling off the ridiculous and impossible from doing nothing! You'll find a way through this, and we'll be there to help you through the whole way." She ended her motivational speech with a gentle nudge and a smirk, which seemed to help lift Akko's spirits.

No matter how much they passed down the hall, nothing felt physically out of place. _Everything looks the same! Why does it all feel different? The windows are still the same, with the doors on the opposite end of the hall, my reflection in the window…_ Akko stopped in her tracks, surprising Amanda and prompting her to stop and try to decipher what she was staring at.

 _My reflection isn't beside me with Amanda. It's… coming down the hall!?_


	4. Out-Of-This-World, In Over my Head

Akko bolted towards the window where she could barely see her reflection. Sure enough, it was approaching from the opposite end of the hall, despite mimicking her urgency to check. Even stranger, Diana's reflection seemed normal.

"Akko? Is everything alright?" Diana asked as she calmly approached.

"Diana, check this out!" "Amanda, check this out!"

 _THERE IT IS AGAIN!_ "Look! In the window!"

"Do you see something out there?"

"Not out there, my reflection! Don't you see it?" Akko practically shouted.

"Look! My reflection! Don't you see it?" Her reflection exclaimed at the same time.

"...Yes? It's a nice sight." Diana sighed, "Although I doubt that's what you were referring to."

"Nice?" Akko tilted her head like a confused puppy before shaking the thought away. "Nevermind, not that! My reflection is facing the opposite way!"

"Akko, that's what reflections do." Diana rested her face in her palm. "That's why it's called a _reflection_. You haven't forgotten tha-"

"No!" The brunette interrupted. "Not like that! Like as in, Your reflection is there, where it should be," she pointed to Diana's reflection in the glass, next to them, "and mine's over there, like it came from the cafeteria!"

"Like it came from Chariot's room!"

Akko stared her reflection down. "I _did_ come from Chariot's room! How did you know it was her?"

Luckily, it seemed Akko's reflection was more patient, and was able to properly hear what she was asked. "What other professor would you be visiting?"

"Akko, I don't mean to interrupt," Diana interrupted quite meaningfully, "but you're kind of making a scene in the halls. Can we perhaps wrap this up elsewhere? I'd rather everyone not believe you've gone completely insane, if possible."

"What did you say earlier, about what I was talking about?"

"After all, it genuinely seems you're having a heated debate with nothing at all."

"Yeah, I think so!"

Akko had opted to completely ignore Diana now, focusing on deciphering what her reflection was so excited about. "What? What do you think?"

"Right! If I can't see or hear Diana, then you probably can't with Amanda." The reflected Akko rolled her eyes as though that should have been obvious.

"I think we might be from each other's worlds!"

/-/

"What did you say earlier, about what I was talking about?"

"I said you were saying some pretty… out-of-this…" Amanda's eyes widened as she realized what Akko was suggesting. "No way."

"Yeah, I think so!" Akko shook her head in excitement.

"What? What do you think?"

"Right! If I can't see or hear Diana, then you probably can't with Amanda. I think we might be from each other's worlds!"

"It explains why everyone's remembering things differently," both Akko's spoke in unison.

Amanda crossed her arms and frowned. "Okay, but what do we do about it?"

"Maybe Chariot will know what to do?" Akko turned to address her reflection again. "Head back to Chariot's room, I'll meet you there!" Without giving her reflection time to respond, she bolted off towards the professor's dorms, leaving Amanda chasing behind her.

"And you're sure of this?" The voice asked through the comm.

" **Quite sure. If what I've overheard is correct, this world's magic is much more stable, but weaker."** The distorted voice of the Noir Knight echoed from it's shadowed hiding spot. " **That'll make it an easier starting point, and we can work our way up from there. I'll take some time for threat assessments, and-"**

"Why bother waiting? Do you genuinely believe that _child_ will be a threat?" The voice scoffed. "You've taken down beasts and professionals. Why would this child be such a big deal?" When the Knight didn't respond, the anonymous contact replied for them. "You're hesitating again. I warned you about this."

" **They're children, please. If I go so that they don't end up in my way…"**

"And if they do?"

" **...Remove them,"** the Knight sighed. " **As always, mission takes priority over others."**

The voice chuckled. "Excellent. I knew you had it in you! Now chin up, put on a good show! It'll go great." With that, the caller hung up, leaving the Noir Knight alone in the shadows of the New Moon Tower. They looked up towards the top at the green glow of the Sorcerer's Stone and stretched their shoulders.

" **Here we go again."**

Akko knocked rapidly at the professor's door. "SENSEI! It's urgent! Can I come in?"

The sounds of Ursula practically tumbling down her stairs was barely muffled by the door, as was her voice. "Come in, come in!"

The brunette almost tore the door off its hinges with the force she used to open it. "Chariot-sensei! I need to borrow your mirror!" Amanda shook her head and giggled at how ridiculous this ordeal must seem to the Astrology teacher.

"Ch-Chariot?" Ursula stammered. "What about her?"

"She's somehow convinced herself that you're that 'Shiny Chariot' she's been going on about, but in disguise." Amanda nodded towards Akko, who'd dove towards the professor's desk to search the drawers. "And also that she can talk to her reflection."

Ursula covered her face with a forced 'ho-ho-hoh'. "Talking to a mirror, h-how silly!"

Amanda's jaw dropped, completely seeing past the blue-haired witch's subject avoidance. "Jennifer's tits, you really are, aren't you?"

"HERE IT IS!" Akko exclaimed, returning to the group holding the small mirror. She turned it to face herself, the two others coming in to peek over her shoulders. "Hey, you made it!"

"Hehe, I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost on the way!" her reflection joked.

"Hey! I come here like once a day! How could I get lost?" Akko retorted.

"Oh dear," Ursula frowned. "She really is talking to her reflection, isn't she?"

/-/

While the Akko's talked between each other, Diana decided to catch Chariot up on their recent idea. "She believes that the reason she's remembering things different is actually because she's from whatever world her reflection is in."

"...Mirror worlds aren't a real thing, though. Reflections can be altered by magic-"

"Oh, trust me, I've seen." Diana rolled her eyes, recounting the mirror used at the Samhain festival.

"- but there's nothing on the other side of a mirror," Chariot finished. "This doesn't make sense."

"This is Akko we're talking about. How often does that happen?"

The red-haired witch sighed. "I guess you're right. So if she somehow _did_ manage to switch worlds with another version of herself, how? That'll be our first step to undoing it." She slammed her fist into her palm. "When did you first find this other Akko?"

Diana thought to herself for a moment. "I'm not completely sure when they switched. It had to have been at least early this morning, before she woke up. But are they physically switched, or mentally?"

Chariot facepalmed. "I hadn't even considered that. How would we know which happened if we don't know how it happened?"

Akko's discussion caught Diana's attention, and she turned to look at the Japanese girl. "Akko, what did you just say?"

She turned around to face the blonde. "Apparently there's someone climbing the New Moon Tower?"

"What!?" Chariot exclaimed.

/-/

"What!?" Ursula exclaimed, unknowingly as shocked as her alternate self.

"Some weirdo in a big suit of witch-hunting armour!" Alice explained. "I came as fast as I could, but they're probably passing the halfway point now."

"And you came here instead of to any closer professors?!"

"Actually… I overheard Akko in the halls say she was coming here, and I figured she'd be the best to ask for help." The ashen brunette looked to the ground, hands behind her back. "Since she saved the Sorcerer's Stone before and stopped that Giant, I figured she'd know what to do…"

Akko smirked in response, grabbing the Shiny Rod from her belt and pumping her fist. "Of course! Don't worry, Alice! I've got this!" She turned to face Amanda and nodded. "Grab your broom, we're gonna race them there!"

Ursula ran over to her closet. "Just take a spare one from here, we don't have enough time!" She opened it up and tossed Amanda one of the brooms. Casting a spell, she opened the large window atop the staircase. "Go! I'll catch up with you! I'm gonna send a warning to the rest of the faculty!"

Akko and Amanda wasted no time in racing up the stairs and practically leaping out the window, the American witch quickly making a path towards the top of the New Moon Tower.

As they approached, they could see the armoured form walking up the side of the tower as though gravity didn't matter. Now that it was possible to make out some details of their opponent, the two started to recognize something.

"Alice was right!" Amanda began. "That's Appleton Witch Hunting armour. I remember seeing pictures of it in history…"

"Is that Louis?" Akko questioned.

"Wait, you actually know this dude!?" The broom pilot turned her head back to the passenger. "Lemme guess, in your world you already fought him?"

"You did, actually! When we were searching for the Holy Grail. I never knew you were so good with a sword, or looked so good in a suit!"

Amanda tried not to blush. "...You think I look good in suits?"

"Watch out we're almost there WATCH OUT-!" Akko's panic brought Amanda's attention back to flying at the last moment, as she barely managed to angle the broom for a landing on the tower. The Japanese witch tumbled off the broom and landed in front of the Sorcerer's Stone, rising to her feet just in time to see the opponent reaching the top as well.

The Noir Knight rose up to the platform, and finally the young witches got a good look at who they'd be facing off against. _This can't be Louis…_ Akko thought to herself. _They're too tall._ The Knight towered over the students, burning red hair flowing from the back of the helmet like a massive flame, red smoke leaking out of every opening in the armour, and a threatening crimson glow staring deep into Akko's heart from the eyeholes. _Wait, Louis' hair seemed more yellowish than this… it definitely can't be him..._

" **Move, Kagari."** The knight's distorted voice boomed through the tower. " **I'm here for the stone, not for you."**

Akko shivered upon hearing the voice. _There's definitely something familiar about it, but I can't tell what!_ Steeling herself and drawing the Shiny Rod from her belt, she pointed towards the foe. "You can't have it! I'm not sure who you are, but these people need the stone here!"

" **So you've already recognized yourself as a traveller… interesting."** The armoured being stepped forward slowly. " **As for** _ **my**_ **identity, you don't know me. At least, not** _ **this**_ **me."** Another steep, the metal boots echoing off the floor. " **Now I'm gonna tell you once more-"**

"NOT ANOTHER STEP!" Akko interrupted, pointing the Shiny Rod at them.

"Hey Akko!" Amanda called out. "Maybe moving is a good idea? This guy looks like he could snap someone like a toothpick!" She was already getting ready to fly off again.

"Gee thanks, Amanda! Great motivator you are!"

The Knight stomped at the ground to draw attention, cracking the stone structure. " **Enough bickering. Remove yourself from my path."**

 _I can't give this up without a fight!_ Akko closed her eyes and gripped the Rod in both hands, feeling her magic swell. _If the Shiny Arc is all about ideal aim, then I'll aim for the helmet! That's how we got Louis out last time!_ The orbs on the special wand began to glow, but with her back turned and eyes closed, she didn't notice the same response from the Sorcerer's Stone itself.

She also failed to notice that Professor Ursula had finally reached the tower as well.

"Noctu Orfei! Auden!" The young witch raised the Rod up and brought it down in front of her. "FRAETOR!" Finally opening her eyes, she was about to notch her Arrow of Light when she noticed… _It didn't transform?_ "Shiny Arc!?"

"Akko, that's not the right spell!" Ursula shouted from across the platform, drawing her wand.

The armoured figure hesitated for a moment before chuckling. " **Pathetic. You're the big-shot hero of your world? And here too? You can't fly, and that fancy stick isn't solving anything."** They walk up to Akko and grab the Rod from her hands; Too shocked by her mistake and the stature of the Knight, she can't keep a good enough grip. " **Allow me to reiterate what I said about getting in my way."**

Realizing what the knight was planning, Ursula fired a triple magic blast at them, but the shots simply fizzled out against the glowing armour. Not bothering to dignify the attempted attack, the mysterious being ignored it and focused instead on the Rod in their hands. Raising it above their head and bracing a leg, they slammed the Shiny Rod down on their knee.

Time seemed to slow down for a moment as the Rod snapped. A bright flash of magic energy swirled and exploded, engulfing everything in sight and sending everyone flying.


End file.
